Chapter 11: Master of Morphing

The streets of Gotham were unnaturally quiet as Plastic Man, in his usual carefree manner, stretched lazily across the rooftops. His elastic form allowed him to slip through the city with ease, shifting and bouncing from building to building, his exaggerated grin plastered across his face.

"This city's been way too calm lately," Plastic Man mused aloud, contorting his body into a spiral as he slingshot himself onto another rooftop. "Not that I'm complaining! But a little action wouldn't hurt."

His playful thoughts were interrupted when the world around him seemed to ripple. A faint, almost imperceptible distortion spread through the air. Plastic Man paused mid-bounce, his body suspended in the air as he glanced around, suddenly on edge. His goofy grin faded as he felt something, someone, watching.

Before he could react, space itself folded inward, and a figure materialized from the shadows. Sage Blank floated into view, his presence warping the air, distorting the very fabric of reality. His glowing white form stood in stark contrast against the darkness of Gotham's skyline, the ever-present question mark on his face pulsing faintly.

"You are Plastic Man," Sage's voice was calm, distant, yet it carried an overwhelming weight. "You have become a nuisance to the multiverse. Your existence bends reality in ways that must be contained."

Plastic Man blinked, his elastic body recoiling back into shape. "Uh… okay, creepy glowing guy. Not sure who you are, but bending reality is kinda my thing. No need to get all serious."

Sage remained motionless, his quill glowing faintly in his hand. "Your powers are irrelevant. You will be coming with me."

A cold chill ran down Plastic Man's spine. "Yeah, not really into the whole kidnapping vibe, man," he quipped, shifting into a coiled spring and launching himself backward. He stretched himself out like a glider, propelling himself far from the mysterious figure. "Later, weirdo!"

But as fast as Plastic Man moved, Sage was already there. Without any visible effort, Sage appeared ahead of him, the space around him bending as if reality itself was nothing more than clay in his hands. His blank face betrayed no emotion, but the intent was clear.

Plastic Man's eyes widened. "Whoa! Okay, that's a new trick."

Sage Blank raised his quill, and the air around Plastic Man rippled violently. For a moment, his elastic form began to twist and distort against his will. Sage was manipulating his very essence, bending him into unnatural shapes without even touching him.

"What the-?!" Plastic Man shouted, his body contorting uncontrollably. "Hey! I'm the stretchy guy here!"

With a sudden burst of effort, Plastic Man broke free from Sage's control, snapping back into his normal form. His usually goofy demeanor was now replaced with a serious expression as he realized the true danger he was in. This wasn't just some ordinary villain. Sage Blank was bending the very rules of reality that Plastic Man himself thought he had mastered.

"Alright, pal," Plastic Man said, stretching his arms out to absurd lengths. "You think you can out-stretch me? Let's see what you've got!"

With a dramatic flair, Plastic Man transformed his body into a massive hammer, swinging it toward Sage with enough force to level a building. The hammerhead grew in size, expanding mid-swing as it hurtled toward Sage with an exaggerated impact.

But Sage Blank remained calm. His quill moved gracefully, and with a subtle flick, the hammer was stopped mid-swing. The force of the blow dissipated into nothingness, leaving Plastic Man stunned.

"Oh, come on!" Plastic Man groaned. "That was one of my best moves!"

Without giving Sage a chance to respond, Plastic Man shifted his body into a series of complex shapes, one moment he was a wrecking ball, the next a giant fist, then a tornado of spiraling limbs. He threw everything he had at Sage, morphing into forms and attacks that defied logic.

But Sage mirrored him. With a fluid motion, Sage's own body began to stretch and contort, mimicking Plastic Man's elastic abilities. His once still and serene form twisted into exaggerated shapes with perfect precision. He bent and stretched his limbs with more control, more finesse than Plastic Man could ever dream of.

Plastic Man gaped in disbelief as Sage transformed into a massive, spinning drill, tearing through the air with terrifying accuracy. "Hey, hey, that's my thing!" Plastic Man protested, but it was clear now, Sage was better. Faster. More in control.

The two continued their battle across the rooftops of Gotham, their elastic bodies twisting and morphing in a display of impossible flexibility. Plastic Man hurled himself into the fight, creating massive constructs, shields, spikes, walls, to block Sage's onslaught, but each one was countered effortlessly.

Sage twisted his form into a net of unbreakable threads, wrapping around Plastic Man and binding him in place. Plastic Man struggled, stretching and contorting in every direction, but Sage's grip was too strong. His mastery over the morphing ability was absolute.

"You cannot win," Sage said, his voice calm, his quill poised for the final strike.

Plastic Man, sweating and panicking, knew he was outmatched. But that didn't mean he was going to go down without a fight. "Maybe I can't win," he grunted, his body stretching in every direction as he struggled against the net, "but I can definitely make it annoying for you!"

In a last-ditch effort, Plastic Man transformed into a swirling vortex of elastic energy, spinning so fast that the net began to unravel. The sudden burst of speed amused Sage, who let Plastic Man broke free.

"See ya!" Plastic Man shouted, launching himself into the sky, stretching across the city in a desperate attempt to escape. He elongated his body, wrapping around buildings and using them as slingshots to propel himself faster and faster.

But Sage moved, keeping up with Plastic Man effortlessly. No matter how far Plastic Man stretched, no matter how fast he moved, Sage was always there, just a step ahead, bending space to keep him within reach.

Plastic Man's mind raced. He couldn't keep this up forever. "Okay, think, think, think!" he muttered to himself as he twisted through the air. "There's gotta be something I can do!"

But before he could come up with a plan, Sage appeared directly in front of him, stopping his momentum dead in its tracks. Sage's quill glowed brightly, and the air around Plastic Man began to compress, forcing his body into tighter and tighter coils.

"I said you cannot win," Sage repeated, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Just as Plastic Man braced himself for the inevitable, a loud crack echoed through the sky. Lights flashed in the distance as the familiar silhouette of the Justice League's Watchtower appeared in the clouds.

Inside the Watchtower, Batman's eyes narrowed as the sensors picked up the disturbance. "We've got something… or someone," he muttered, quickly contacting the rest of the League.

"Justice League, we have a situation in Gotham. Something's attacking Plastic Man," Batman said, his voice grim. "And whatever it is… it's not from here."

Within moments, Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash were on their way, each of them speeding toward Gotham's skyline.

As Plastic Man struggled against Sage's ever-tightening grip, he could just make out the faint figures of his friends approaching. His heart leaped with a mix of relief and fear.

"Better late than never," he muttered under his breath. But even with the Justice League en route, he couldn't shake the sinking feeling that this battle was far from over.